


Take Care (Of You)

by BeautyOnFyre



Category: The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adoption, Age Difference, Kid Fic, M/M, Superfamily, Superhusbands, sassy!peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2014-05-30
Packaged: 2018-01-27 03:14:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1712882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautyOnFyre/pseuds/BeautyOnFyre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was four days after Tony and Steve had adopted a four year old Peter Parker that Tony knew, irrevocably, that Bruce Banner was in for the long haul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Care (Of You)

It was four days after Tony and Steve had adopted a four year old Peter Parker that Tony knew, irrevocably, that Bruce Banner was in for the long haul. 

Bruce had been living at the tower for two years already and worked in R&D for Stark Industries as well as SHIELD in his down time. He had finally stopped running from everyone and everything and Tony was proud of his friend for leaving his nomadic tendencies behind. 

On this day, Steve and Tony were finally getting their newly settled son introduced to the team one by one starting with Bruce but when Peter fell, smacked his head on the coffee table, and subsequently started to cry, no one expected for Bruce to start shaking, turn green and hulk out on them. Steve immediately threw himself between Peter and Hulk, fearing the worst. His attempt at protecting the still-bawling Peter was useless as Hulk flicked him out of the way with a roar and shoved away the couch and coffee table roughly.

"Peter!" Tony shouted as he rushed across the room towards his newly adopted son. 

Then Hulk scooped up Peter by his middle, the child still wailing as his head throbbed, and smashed the coffee table to sawdust and splinters with his other fist. Peter slowed his breathing, still lightly sobbing as he examined the remains with awe. Hulk then thumped onto his rear on the floor and cradled Peter to his chest, growling loudly when Peter yelled out in surprise at the sudden movement. Hulk let out a slow grumble as Peter squirmed to get comfortable in the thick green arms and finally settled with his hand over Hulk's heart and his head against his thick neck. Peter hugged Hulk, unaware of the danger he was in at that moment and whispered a small "Thanks" into the big guy's neck.

Steve pulled himself out of the drywall he had been thrown into and Tony stopped him from getting too close to the odd pair exchanging grumbles on the floor. "Oh my god. I've seen it all. Bruce hulked out over Peter bumping his head and Hulk smashed the fucking coffee table to make him feel better. And they're practically cuddling! Steve! Do you see this, or am I crazy?"

Taking in a long breath, Steve nodded, "I think he's actually safe with him. I don't think Hulk will hurt him now." He inched closer but stopped and took a step back when Hulk's gaze went from adoring (Peter) to murderous (Steve) and he bared his large teeth at Steve like a feral animal. 

"Shit," Tony was eloquent as always. 

"Tony, language! Little ears!" Steve was quick to chastise. Both were unwilling to leave Hulk unsupervised with Peter so they stood there watching until Hulk set Peter down on the floor beside him and transformed back to Bruce a long while later. 

"What the hell was that?" Bruce's voice waived as he assessed the area around him. "Did he hurt anyone?" Peter chose that moment to crawl right into Bruce's lap. His look of astonishment was priceless. 

"He threw Steve into the wall but he's fine," Tony offered nonchalantly. 

Steve stepped closer then, "Why - How did he get out? You looked calm and then you just hulked out on us!" He pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at Bruce again. "I thought he was going to kill Peter."

Tony scoffed, "He was going to kill anyone that got near Peter, I'm pretty sure." 

Looking down at the boy in his lap that was hugging him with a grin, Bruce felt overwhelmed. "The crazy part is that I was calm. The Other Guy just took over. He's never done that before unless I let my emotions get the best of me. There was no stopping him once he wanted out." He moved to stand up and Peter, looking reluctant, got off of his lap and returned to his toys. "Steve, Tony, I'm so sorry. I- I should go." He gathered his dropped glasses that thankfully hadn't been crushed in Hulk's wake and made for the door. "Maybe it would be safer if I left for a while. I can be out-"

"No, no, no. You can't leave, Bruce. You're heading all the important R&D projects and you live here. You can't just leave because the big guy wanted to play mother hen with Peter." Tony was assertive in his reasoning and didn't look like he would accept any less than full acquiescence from Bruce. "You have to stay. You'll break Peter's heart if you don't." 

Damn Tony fucking Stark. Damn it all. The Other Guy was putting up a fight too. The thought of leaving made Hulk rear back and gave Bruce a splitting headache. "Fine, but only because the Other Guy might kill me slowly if I leave. I still don't think I'm safe to be alone with Peter regardless of what He did this time. Next time, he could kill someone." Bruce turned and made his exit while he still could. 

It was then that Tony knew without a doubt that Bruce was in for the long haul like the rest of them. He knew in that moment that he could trust Bruce with Peter's life. He could trust Hulk to protect Peter. That alone reassured Tony. 

***

"Peter, get down from there!" Steve watched his son from the helicopter pad of Stark Tower as Peter looked from side to side nervously on an antenna tower. 

"I can't!" The eight year old shouted back. "I can't climb down! The ladder unlocked and fell. It's too low to climb down!" Peter was clearly more distressed than he had originally let on. 

Steve moved underneath the tower's platform that Peter was on and replied, "Just jump, I'll catch you. It's not far."

The resounding "Noooo!" was a clear indication that Steve needed to come up with a plan quickly. "Get Hulk, Papa!" That was actually a great plan. Hulk was probably tall enough to reach Peter and Bruce would be able to come quickly from downstairs. If only Tony wasn't in Germany at a conference, he could get their son down with his suit. Stupid Tony. Stupid conference. 

"JARVIS, can you please ask Bruce to come to the roof. Tell him I need help with something and it can't wait. Don't tell him Peter is upset or he'll hulk out before he gets here."

"Duly noted sir." There was a pause before, "Dr. Banner is on his way up now."

In the years since Peter's adoption, Peter had come to love Hulk and Hulk had come to the rescue for every possible bump, bruise and boo boo that he could be present for. Steve had eventually come to accept that when Peter was genuinely upset, he didn't want either of his fathers, just a big green grumbling friend called Hulk. Bruce was still mystified by the video footage from JARVIS that Tony insisted he watch after Bruce hulked out the third time in a month after initially meeting Peter. He couldn't believe that his vicious alter ego had a nurturing side that exclusively belonged to a little boy named Peter. He watched a couple hours' worth of footage of Hulk rocking side to side cradling Peter, holding Peter close, even making Peter laugh to cheer him up. Each time, he saw that possessive gleam in His eyes. He was sure that Hulk believed that Peter was his to protect. 

Upon arriving on the roof, Steve just pointed up to the antenna tower with a 'please help my overly curious kid down' look before Bruce peered up and started to morph into Hulk. 

"Hulk!" Peter was still distressed but had a tone of relief in his voice. Gentle green hands reached up to a couple feet below the platform and Peter lowered himself past the guard rail and into Hulk's waiting palms. Hulk didn't place Peter on the ground but held him close, nuzzling and sniffing at Peter's hair and neck to ascertain that his charge was in fact alright. "Love you too," Steve heard Peter mumble into Hulk's shoulder as he hugged every inch of his rescuer that he could reach and kissing his vast shoulder once before nuzzling and sniffing like Hulk had. Hulk held Peter carefully as he returned through the open glass door into the penthouse. He followed his nose until he found Peter's room and dropped the eight year old on the bed, grumbling until Peter finally let go completely. Hulk grunted his approval before exiting and morphing back into Bruce when he was closer to the living room. Steve caught him and helped Bruce stand, now back in his own skin, and thanked his friend profusely. 

"I didn't know who else to call. He wanted Hulk," Steve offered as he held out a spare lab coat for Bruce to pull on. 

"I still feel like this was all a bad idea to let them get this close. What about when Peter's older and gets into a lover's spat? I'm sure the Other Guy wouldn't have any scruples about storming over to his or her house and smashing them to bits because they upset Peter. Then what?" Bruce shook his head and sighed. "Just tell him that I'll be in the lab tomorrow if he wants to help before Tony gets home."

Steve nodded with a frown. He didn't realize that Bruce worried about Hulk's relationship with Peter so much. As Bruce walked away and the elevator doors closed, Steve retreated to Peter's room and saw his son wiping away some tears and sniffling. 

"What's the matter, baby boy?" he asked as he gathered the boy into his arms. Peter let his tears soak into his father's shirt for a moment before lifting his head from his Pops' shoulder. 

"I wish he didn't have to go all the time. I love Bruce but I really love Hulk too. He never gets to stay like everyone else does. It's not fair! Hulk is a person too! He's not a monster, Pops." Steve found himself with a sad smile on his lips. Peter loved fiercely, that was for sure. Once he liked someone, it was impossible to change his mind. He attached himself so seamlessly into everyone's hearts that he was impossible not to love back. 

"I know he's not. Hulk loves you too and so does Bruce."

Peter's face scrunched up at that admission, "It's not the same."

"Why not, buddy?"

"I love him."

"I know. We all do Petey," Steve assured the boy. 

"I LOVE-love him, Pops. Hulk loves me too. I know it. That's why he sniffles and grumbles at me." Peter grinned as he talked but his grin slipped from his face as he watched his father get a contemplative look on his face. "I'm allowed to love-love Hulk, right Pops? You love-love Daddy and that's okay, right?"

Steve couldn't think of a way to tell his eight year old son that Hulk was the byproduct of a bomb test gone wrong and wasn't really an appropriate crush for forementioned boy of eight to entertain thoughts of without making Peter upset. 

"You can be in love with whoever you want, Petey. Don't let anyone tell you different."

Peter gave his father a million watt smile that glowed with happiness. "Love you, Pops," he murmured into Steve's shoulder when he surged forward to hug him. 

Steve rubbed along Peter's back soothingly and mentally face-palmed at his lack of spine when it came to Peter. He knew he should nip this puppy love in the bud but he didn't have the heart to do it. "Bruce said that he will be in the lab tomorrow if you want to help him before Daddy gets home."

Peter nodded against his collar before he let go of Steve and climbed under his blankets, clearly exhausted from his emotional turmoil earlier and in need of a nap. "I'll wake you up for dinner, buddy," Steve promised as he kissed Peter's forehead and left the door to his room cracked open behind him. 

***

"Great shot, Hawkeye." Steve congratulated his teammate on taking down the last threat to the city and was about to give orders to regroup when Tony got a call in from JARVIS. 

"Cap, can you get Hulk to come with me back to the tower? Peter saw him get hit with a missile on the News and is freaking out. Happy and Pepper don't know what to do. It'll be easier to just let him see Hulk. I can fly back with Bruce after he gets clothes to debrief."

Steve walked over to Hulk and patted the big guy's arm to get his attention. "Hey big guy. Want to follow Iron Man home?" He received a grunt that didn't sound promising. "Peter is there." Hulk immediately started looking around to get his bearings. "Call him, Tony."

"Hulk, follow me. We'll go see Peter." He followed Tony obediently, stepping around the cars and people in the streets. When they got to the tower, Peter was already outside at Pepper's hip wailing. He flailed to loosen her grip and when she deemed Hulk close enough, she let him run to the object of his concern. The eleven year old boy threw himself into Hulk's arms still crying. 

"You're okay? I thought you were hurt," he wailed into the solid mass of muscle on Hulk's neck. 

Hulk sat down with more care than usual and wrapped Peter up in his thick green arms. "Hulk okay. No tears," he grumbled into Peter's hair, sniffing at it to assess if he was alright. 

Tony was caught by surprise when flashes started to go off and didn't want his son to be a part of the eleven o'clock news. Nor did he want an irritated Hulk smashing people. 

"Peter, can you bring Hulk inside? I don't think he likes cameras." Hulk eyed Tony warily when he came closer to his charge and Tony wisely stepped away. Peter, however, nodded at Tony before whispering something in Hulk's ear. Hulk grunted and stood, cradling Peter to his chest with one arm as he squeezed into the building through two double doors that Tony and Happy held open. 

"Thank you. I love you Hulk," Peter squeezed his eyes shut to stop the flow of tears and pushed himself up to Hulk's face to kiss his cheek all over. "I'm okay now, I promise. Can you get Bruce to bring me upstairs with Dad?" Hulk let out a groan that sounded petulant to which Peter giggled. "But you won't fit in the elevator!" Hulk grunted in compliance before sniffing Peter's hair again and gently nuzzling his neck. He set Peter down then morphed back into Bruce Banner.

Bruce held up his ruined pants with one hand and accepted a hand up from Tony with the other. As father, son and scientist made their way into the elevator, Pepper was startled from her staring by Happy's snort beside her.

"What is so funny?"

He shook his head and walked to the door to head home, turning before he left, "'Twas beauty, Miss Potts, that tamed the beast."

***

"The proteins aren't going to settle right," Peter said over Bruce's shoulder, startling the scientist at the teen's sudden presence. 

When Bruce got control of his heart rate again, he leveled a harmless glare over his shoulder. "None of that, Pete. I know you miss him but I'm working. And when did you become the master scientist, anyways? You don't know what they're going to look like."

"I do. They're going to look like mini funnel cakes and not in a good way. You didn't let them heat up enough to properly reset them." Peter stuck his hands into his lab coat pockets and shrugged. "And you can't blame me for trying. It's been a while since I've seen him and he doesn't exactly stick around long." Peter eyed his feet with sudden interest and Bruce sighed. 

He felt bad for the kid. Peter had always be abnormally attached to his alter ego and he had warned Tony and Steve alike to talk with Peter about the dangers of being close with the Other Guy. Bruce wished that he could convince Peter that Hulk wasn't a really person; not the kind of person that Peter could entertain a serious crush on for as long as Peter already had. Everyone knew it and Peter would just blush when asked how he felt about Hulk. Even at sixteen, Peter's torch for Hulk burned bright. 

Tony had also mentioned over the years how it was odd that Peter had associated most of the other Avengers as family members but had outright refused to call Bruce his uncle. Granted, the boy had also called Thor by his first name but it was different. Tony had teased the boy about it once when he was young and the indignant response left all of the adults that were present reeling. "Thor is like a cousin but Bruce can't be my uncle. I can't love-love my uncle!" Tony had eyed Steve in a 'WTF was that?' sort of way before agreeing and moving on from their son's outburst. 

Needless to say, Peter had held his crush for Hulk, and by extension Bruce, for well over a decade and it wasn't going anywhere. 

"So Mr. Mad Scientist, what do you propose?" Bruce countered, ignoring Peter's Hulk comment. 

"Reheat the sample at just below 250° for longer than twenty minutes this time and slowly decrease the temperature of the burner over a longer period of time so that they set nicely from top to bottom." Peter gave Bruce a cheeky grin. "Here, allow me," Peter reached over Bruce so that his chest was flush against the older man's back and turned the dial that would make the burner hotter. He pulled his hand back but stayed there in Bruce's personal space for a moment longer before pulling up a lab stool close to Bruce's. He sat himself down, their bodies touching from knee to shoulder and Peter glanced up at the slightly taller scientist with a grin that said 'you know you like it.'

Bruce had allowed this kind of contact a lot when Peter was younger but he knew that Peter was in his personal space on purpose these days. Peter had started to actively condition Bruce to accept it since he he was about twelve and, so far, it had worked. It was odd not having Peter in his personal space when he was in the lab. 

The added plus of having Peter around, not that he would ever tell Peter, was that he found himself relaxing enough that the Other Guy wasn't just waiting below the surface of his skin to get out. Granted, if Peter cut his hand on some equipment, the Other Guy would be out in a heartbeat, but it was different than when he came out while Bruce was angry. 

The downside was that he, and everyone else in the tower, was encouraging this behavior by not telling Peter not to do it. Tony and Steve hated how reclusive Bruce was, wanting more human interaction for him, and thusly encouraged their son to seek him out on a regular basis. Peter had started flirting with Bruce recently and, on more than one occasion, he had caught the teen checking him out not so subtly. Bruce figured that he would have to sit down with Tony and Steve again for the umpteenth time and tell them to talk to their progeny. Bruce knew that he was no good for Peter and that nothing good could come from Peter trying to pursue a romantic entanglement of any degree with him. It would just hurt him in the end. 

Bruce let out a small sigh before wrapping his arm around Peter's shoulders and giving a small squeeze. He was getting too old to be getting in this deep. 

***

"Tony, Steve, can we talk?" Bruce's voice was steady as he took a sip from his tea mug. Peter had just left for his two morning classes that he called 'school' but was clearly not as engaging as it should be for him. Peter had already tested out of Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Computer Science courses for the eleventh and twelfth grades and thus had only Math, English and a couple of Humanities courses left. If he hadn't insisted on spreading out his workload, Peter could have been done high school in a matter of months at the age of 16. As it was, he had two years of schooling left and was only there for the mornings, usually opting to hang out in the lab with Bruce, workshop with Tony or gym with Steve for the rest of his day. 

"Is this about Peter?" Steve asked gently. 

At Bruce's nod, Tony became a bit worried, "Is he okay? He looked okay this morning."

"He's fine, but I'm concerned." Steve and Tony sat on the stools on the opposite side of the breakfast nook. "I'm concerned that he's getting too attached to me and the Other Guy. I know I've been telling you guys this for years but I'm concerned. He's started flirting with me now and he's in my personal space more times than not. I feel like it's impossible to discourage him when he's not hearing it from you guys too."

"Is he actually good at flirting?"

Steve elbowed Tony with a frown, "So you don't feel the same way?" He directed his question back at Bruce who stood across from him with a gobsmacked look. 

"You can't be serious, Steve. You both know that I'm no good for anyone, let alone your only son. I can't give him what any other person on this planet can." Bruce's hands started to shake minutely as he closed his eyes. He had to calm down. 

"Love?"

"A normal life!" Bruce abandoned his tea on the counter and scrubbed his hands over his face. The Other Guy was mad at him too right now. "Besides, I'm old enough to be his father. I'm your friend, for crying out loud."

"Steve is old enough to be my father and was well acquainted with my father too, now that I think of it. Weird, right? People usually say it's odd how I look like I could be your father," Tony commented to Bruce then Steve over his coffee mug before taking a sip, smirk never leaving his lips. "That doesn't bother me, Brucie. We've almost set Peter up to think it's normal, if we're being honest here."

"Are you both against me here? Are you guys really not concerned about Peter?" His voice belied his incredulity at the situation. 

Steve glared when Tony snorted "yes" into his coffee and elbowed his husband again. "Bruce, we're not against you here, but you have to realize that from our perspective, Peter could do a hell of a lot worse than shacking up with you. He could pick someone a lot worse than you."

"Yeah, like that Osborn kid. Norman's progeny," Tony made a disgusted face over the lip of his raised mug and squawked at Steve's glare with an indignant, "What?! It's true! That kid is into more shenanigans than you and I combined could shake a stick at."

Looking back a Bruce, Steve shook his head at his husband's antics. "The worst part is that he's right. I would rather hear that you and Peter got eloped than that he was anywhere near Harry Osborn. The kid has more than a few vices."

"So what am I to do here?"

Steve looked contemplative before hesitantly asking, "How do you feel about him?"

Bruce just looked at Steve and Tony like the question was a trap. 

"I'm serious, Bruce. The fact that Peter is our kid aside, how do you feel about him?" 

With a groan, he took a sip of his cooling tea and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "The Other Guy loves him with all that he is. He never wants any harm to come to Peter and would do anything to make sure that doesn't happen. But he's selfish. He doesn't let me entertain thoughts of leaving or distancing myself from Peter to keep him safe."

"But how do you feel?" Steve looked genuinely concerned. 

"I don't know. I don't let myself feel."

***

A year and a half later found a seventeen year old Peter lying on the couch in Bruce's living room, wrapped up in a blanket with Bruce next to him. Bruce looked down one moment to see Peter watching the show and the next glance confirmed that Peter had fallen asleep on him once again. This was slowly becoming a regular occurrence where Peter showed up on Bruce's floor after dinner and coerced him into snuggling on the couch until well into the evening. 

At that moment, Bruce found that he didn't mind and shifted a bit to get more comfortably, lying back on the wide leather couch with Peter on top of his chest. He found himself carding his fingers through Peter's thick brown hair until Peter's warm brown eyes opened and looked up to Bruce. They just stared at each other in silence until Peter squirmed and pushed himself up to hover over Bruce. Bruce watched as Peter flicked his eyes from Bruce's own hazel ones down to Bruce's light pink lips. 

The older man found his hands wandering along Peter's hips and up his sides to Peter's tense shoulders. Bruce slid his right hand under Peter's arm and cupped his young face with his palm. Peter seemed to hesitate for a moment before he inclined his head towards Bruce and was met half way by Bruce's lips against his. Peter's tongue licked at Bruce's lips for but a moment before the older man opened his mouth and they kissed slowly, making a rhythm all their own. They continued to kiss for a few minutes, stopping only to catch their breath again until finally Bruce pulled back. 

"Is this- Am I what you really want, Peter?"

"I've always wanted you," his words, though whispered, were wrought with conviction. "I just didn't think you wanted me too."

Bruce nodded, "I do." He smiled at Peter's matching grin. "I do."

Peter silenced them by kissing Bruce again with more fervor and passion. 

***

"No."

Peter pouted at Bruce. 

"Absolutely not."

"But-"

"I can't. It's as simple as that."

"Bruce," he whined in the scientist's ear as he straddled his lap. "I need this. I'm a teenager and I have needs, you know."

Bruce scoffed. Well, he tried to scoff but it came out a bit strangled when Peter ground his hips against Bruce's, completely unashamed of his erection that he was now grinding against Bruce to get a similar reaction. Peter was too good at this. "I know that you have needs but your hand will have to take care of them a while longer."

"Bruce, you're killing me."

"I could go to jail. You're seventeen and still in high school, Pete. Just wait, okay? You don't have to be in a rush to get rid of your virginity. You won't die."

"Fine, but I don't have to like it," Peter said as he got off of Bruce's lap and stood up to leave. 

"Where are you going?" Bruce found himself wondering out loud. 

"And to think that I thought you were the smarter of us," Peter shot over his shoulder wittily. 

Bruce watched Peter get into the elevator and the doors closed behind him. He groaned as his need became abundantly apparent. He got off of the couch too, going to take a shower to relieve some of his tension. He couldn't wait until Peter graduated. 

***

A year later, Peter had finally turned eighteen and was about to graduate. His commencement would be that day and he found himself waking up in a warm, comforting embrace. He turned in the bed a bit to see Bruce still dozing next to him, arms and legs entangled with Peter's own like an octopus. It was rare that he would wake up before Bruce so he relaxed back into the bed and watched the love of his life sleep peacefully. After ten minutes, light started to break through the window shades and Bruce made a small moan before opening his eyes slowly. He smiled at Peter and Peter leaned forward to press a kiss onto his forehead, cheeks and lips. 

"Morning," Bruce rasped, wiping at the corners of his eyes with his newly liberated hand. "How long have you been up?" He pulled Peter back into a strong embrace and they nuzzled each other playfully. 

"Not long. You look so... serene in your sleep. It's beautiful," he punctuated his statement by kissing up Bruce's neck and sucking on the skin an inch below his jawline. 

By the time Bruce woke up enough to realize what Peter was doing and detach him from his work, he was already sporting a large red hickey that no popped collar or makeup could ever hide. 

"You know that your dad is going to embarrass you about this now, right? You never know what Tony Stark will throw into his address at the ceremony today," Bruce chuckled before kissing his younger lover on the head and heading into the adjoint bathroom. When Bruce went to brush his teeth, he noticed the extra toothbrush beside his in the ceramic cup and smiled. That hadn't been there the day before but Peter must have dropped it in the cup last night before he came to bed. 

The little things about his relationship with Peter made his day. Peter's eternally crazy hair in the morning, waking up with someone there at night, and even the way all of Peter's favorite teas and mug were in the small kitchen cupboards beside his own even though everyone usually ate upstairs in the master kitchen on the common floor. Small things, he told himself as he brushed his upper left molars. 

"Knock, knock?" Peter peeked in and joined Bruce at the sink to brush his teeth in his pajama pants. They stared at each other in the mirror, not needing to say anything and when Bruce was done, he wrapped Peter in a strong hug, kissing his neck and receiving a toothpaste grin for his efforts. 

He quickly checked his phone for any updates from the lab assistants he had and found that nothing was amiss and a report was sitting in his mailbox downstairs waiting for him to read on the latest round of testing. He dropped the phone and pulled on sweat pants to go up for breakfast when Peter emerged. He made a beeline for Bruce's closet and took out a shirt to wear that was clearly too big for him but made him look adorable. 

They walked to the elevator, arms slung around shoulders and emerged on the common floor ready to eat. Steve was, of course, cooking Peter's favorites for breakfast in celebration of his graduation. The selection included bacon, fresh berries and melon, and pancakes. Tony took one look at Bruce's collar and pasted a stupid grin on his face. 

"Did our little Petey finally get laid? Or is Brucie still holding out on deflowering you?" Tony stepped far enough away that Steve couldn't swat him with the spatula as Peter gave his father a withering look. 

"Tell you what, Dad. How about I just scream as loud as I can with ecstacy when he's doing me so that you'll know?" Tony choked on his coffee and spat it back into his mug. "Does that work for you?"

Bruce looked shocked but started laughing when Steve did. "See Tony? That's what you get for harassing him. Make yourself more coffee, sit down, shut up, and eat." Steve waved his spatula in a 'don't test me' gesture and Tony was quick to obey, sliding into the stool at the end of the counter and eyeing Bruce and Peter's clasped hands resting on Bruce's thigh. Their relationship was way more chaste than any of Tony's relationships had ever been. Even he had bedded Steve by the fourth date, three weeks after they had first met, after the Captain's stint in the ice. 

His son, however, had been in love with Bruce since they first met and his love had evolved from that of a child with his comfort blanket to a child's best friend and now his companion in life's great adventures. Those that knew them knew it was inevitable and it just made sense. The only person that would ever be safe with Hulk and, therefore, safe with Bruce was Peter. He thought on this as his husband of fifteen years served him some pancakes and extra bacon with a kiss to his cheek and a mumbled 'I love you' in his ear. He looked again and saw Peter eating left handed so that he wouldn't have to let go of Bruce. He could see them together in another fifteen years too. 

It still got to him that they could be this happy in a relationship after over a year without sex and still be able to sleep in the same bed (Tony and Steve had no illusions of where Peter was at night instead of in his room these past few months). Bruce was more of a monk than anyone had previously believed. Forget monk, he was a borderline Saint for his abstinence in the presence of his sexually driven, teenaged beau. 

Tony ate his pancakes and helped Steve clean up the kitchen while Peter finished his breakfast, kissed Bruce goodbye for the moment, and headed up to his own room to shower and get dressed for his graduation ceremony. 

***

"I'm proud to finally introduce our guest speaker, Mr. Tony Stark." The principal stepped down from the lectern and shook hands with Tony amidst the roar of applause. 

Tony took his place at the lectern and silenced the crowd, waiting until it was quiet enough for him to speak. "You might all be wondering what I'm doing here today. I volunteered to speak here not because I went here, because I didn't," a smattering of chuckles made its way through the crowd. "I'm addressing you all today because today is the day that my son, Peter Parker-Stark, has made me the proudest father ever. I looked at him this morning and realized that I couldn't talk to you all about embracing the future. There's another guy that's gonna talk after me and I'm sure he'll tell you that," more chuckles from the audience. "Passion is what I want to impart on you."

"Whether you are going to get a university degree in psychology or sociology that you can't do anything with, work for NASA, flip fries at McDonald's, or play a pickle tub drum on 54th, you need to be passionate about what you do. I'm not a sentimental guy, my husband and son will attest to this, but loving what you do and who you're with every day is a blessing. It doesn't matter whether your annual income is seven digits or seven dollars, without passion it all means nothing. You can wake up every morning and do what you think or what other people think is right for you and you can survive. That's what most people in this life do. We become complacent with our goals and achievements that we stop looking for that spark. We stop expecting the butterflies or feeling the excitement of waking up next to the person that you love, but why? Why stop?" He paused to look over everyone and spotted his husband and Bruce along with his fellow Avengers at the side of the graduates' seating. Then he locked eyes with his son several rows down to the right. Peter smiled and wiped away a few stray tears. 

"I looked at my son this morning and told myself that I would be doing you all a disservice to tell you to work hard to make your way in life. You will hear that from every other parental figure in your life, you don't need that sort of address from me. But I stand before you today to tell you that being passionate about your job, hobby, love and anything else will get you where you need to be in life. As long as you find what, or who, you're passionate about, you will not only succeed, but you will be happy. This country was founded upon three inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You have life, you have liberty, and now is the time to pursue your happiness. Thank you."

Tony shook hands with the principal again before bounding down the stairs and rejoining his family to the side of the stage and kissing his husband. They sat down amidst the applause and everyone eventually settled down to listen to the next speaker and then the commencement. They waited patiently, some more than others, until the row before Peter's and eventually Peter's row made their way up to the front. They found themselves on the side that was the exit of the stage and applauded loudly when he walked to get his diploma. The eighteen year old made his way off the stage and back to his seat until the other diplomas were handed out. Finally, they turned their tassels and hats went flying. They waited for the graduates and staff to make their way out then the friends and family were allowed to leave. 

They spotted Peter hugging a blonde girl as she wiped away happy tears from her face. When he pulled back from the embrace he smiled at his parents but his smile grew at the sight of Bruce. The kid had it bad. 

He excused himself for a moment and made his way through the crowd, eyes fixed on Bruce. Steve and Tony moved away and watched as Peter jumped into Bruce's arms. Their kiss was passionate and their smiles glowed when they pulled apart and Bruce finally set Peter on the ground. Peter, eternally the shorter of the two, grinned up at Bruce like he was the sun, moon and stars all in one. He finally stepped back and pulled Bruce over to the blonde, introducing them. He looked over Bruce's shoulder and waved his fathers over. 

"Dr. Banner, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Peter talks about you all the time. It's great to finally put a face to the name," Gwen Stacey have him a genuine smile while shaking his hand. 

"Please, call me Bruce."

Tony sidled up beside his son, "You must be Gwen." At Gwen's blush he continued, "Tony Stark, Peter's father," he offered his hand which Gwen shook. 

Steve jumped in and offered her his hand as well, "Steve Rogers-Stark. I'm Peter's other dad." She blushed then. Steve usually had that effect on women and a fair amount of men. 

"Peter talks so much about you all. It's great to finally meet you." Gwen chatted with them for a few minutes until her parents called her away and she hugged Peter once more before waving in farewell. 

"We need to find the others. I hope they haven't gotten into too much trouble," Steve looked around worriedly. "We'll see you both later," he said as he kissed Peter on the cheek and pulled Tony with him. 

Confused by the turn of events, Peter turned to Bruce, "What is he talking about?"

Bruce just smiled and kissed his forehead. "You'll see." He wrapped a possessive arm around Peter as they went to hand in his graduation gown and proceeded out to one of Tony's extravagant sports cars that was parked in front of the school. Bruce opened the door for Peter and closed it before making his way to the driver's side and starting the car with a hum of the fine-tuned engine. 

"Good afternoon, Dr. Banner, Peter." Peter smiled at JARVIS' informal address. It was almost like the AI had helped raise him and he had, in a way. 

"Good afternoon, JARVIS. Is everything ready to go?"

"Of course, sir. Everything the way you specified," the automated voice replied smoothly. 

Peter worked an eyebrow at Bruce before leaning over the gear shift and taking Bruce's face in his hands. "Dad was right, you know. I'm passionate about you and you make me happy." Bruce reached up a hand to stroke Peter's face in return. "You are an amazing person, Bruce, and I'm lucky to have you." Peter kissed him then before leaning back into his seat and buckling up. Bruce's grin didn't subside as they drove and only grew larger when Peter put his hand over Bruce's on the gear shifter. 

They drove out of the city and east along the sea until Bruce was pulling into the driveway of an extravagant cottage in the Hamptons that Peter remembered from his youth. It had been several years since their family had vacationed here but he remembered it all the same. Bruce unlocked the door and told Peter to wait inside for him. Peter humored his boyfriend and busied himself with looking around the house. It had been recently cleaned as he could smell the cleaner for the hardwood floors. The dust cloths had been removed from the furniture and the sheets in the bedrooms washed to smell fresh.

He opened a window or two to let the warm summer breeze in but didn't want to turn on any lights just yet. The sun had yet to set so he opened the blinds on the windows and slid open the glass patio doors, just leaving the screens in place. He stood there for a moment enjoying the view when Bruce entered the house again. He walked back to one of the bedrooms and came to Peter after dropping what sounded like a suitcase on the bed in the master bedroom. He came back and paused at the doorway to the great room, watching Peter watch the ocean. 

"It's so beautiful. I didn't remember how beautiful it was here until now," Peter smiled to himself before looking over his shoulder and nodding to Bruce to come closer. "I remember when I was eight or nine, I was on the beach and cut my foot open on a rock or a shell and I really cut it good. I cried and Pops came running over to tend to me. I didn't want him or Dad though; I wanted you. They called you and you somehow drove all the way here and Hulk just held me as Pops cleaned it and bandaged it up. I remember screaming bloody murder over the cut like I was going to die. My poor fathers," he chuckled. "I guess that happened a lot in my childhood. I just wanted you. You made sense to me."

Bruce chuckled. "I remember when you turned seven and they took you to Paris with them. Within a few hours of landing Steve called me and told me to talk to you, that you were hiding under your bed in the hotel room and wouldn't leave. You were so upset that a woman at the hotel had called your Hulk plushie ugly. I had a hard time convincing you to get out from under the bed." He let out a sigh against Peter's neck and peppered his shoulder with small kisses.

"I remember when I first met you. You were four years old in a red tshirt and blue corduroys that Steve had dragged me shopping for. They were so ecstatic to have you in their lives after going through all the red tape and the media storm to adopt you. Tony gave up his CEO position and he finally had a reason to crawl out of the liquor bottle that he had fallen into somewhere along the line with you coming. Steve started nesting, I swear to you. He bought everything for you that you could possibly want or need and made your dad keep the dangerous projects in his workshop under lock and key." Peter chuckled and leaned back against Bruce's chest. "But there you were, tiny and quiet, playing in the corner. I was the first one that they brought around to see you since I lived in the tower. Not even Pepper had come to see you yet. They didn't want you overwhelmed by people too soon into your stay. 

"Steve had introduced me across the room and you gave a nod before toddling over to your toys and, damn you were clumsy," Peter laughed at that admission but did his best to stifle his laughs while Bruce continued, hands stroking across his stomach, "you smacked your head off of the coffee table when you went to sit on the floor with your toys." His rough voice lowered in tone, "Hulk just came to the surface and smashed the coffee table into splinters and sawdust for deigning to harm such a precious person. I was so worried when I changed back because He felt satisfied, like he had leveled an entire city instead of a coffee table. He was smitten from the start. You made him want to be a hero, Peter. He has always just wanted to be yours." One final kiss was planted onto Peter's shoulder before Bruce smiled and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, what are we having?" 

"Whatever JARVIS, and by extension Pepper, packed us," he grinned before taking Peter by the hand and leading him onto the concrete patio and then into the sand where he must have set up their picnic before Peter had opened the patio doors. They had sandwiches from Peter's favorite deli and a selection of fruits to dip in chocolate. Bruce dipped into the basket again and pulled out a bottle of champagne and two glasses for which Peter was excited about. He always drank champagne on New Year's Eve and Bruce had gotten his favorite bottle of Moët for the occasion.

"I know that it's not every day that a guy graduates but damn. I really wasn't expecting all of this," Peter found himself blushing at the trouble Bruce had gone through to get his favorites.

Then Bruce took off his jacket, popped the cork and poured them each a glass of champagne, smiling as Peter took a sip and grinned back. "Thank you."

After they ate their sandwiches, Bruce offered a hand and they walked to the sea, shoes abandoned at the blanket, to feel the ocean brush against their toes. Peter closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of fresh air with the wind off the water caressing his face. Bruce let go of his hand and he watched Peter spread his arms wide as if to embrace the earth in all it's glory. Peter opened his eyes and turned to see Bruce on one knee behind him in the sand and lost his breath. The older man reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box with one hand while grasping Peter's with his other.

"Peter, you are the only person in the world that accepts both sides of me wholly and still loves me unconditionally. I always thought after my accident that I would be alone forever, but you are so integrated into my very existence that I can't picture my future without you anymore. I don't want a future that isn't intertwined with yours. You mean everything to me. Let me make an honest man of you, Peter Parker. Will you marry me?"

Peter had tears rolling unchecked down his cheeks as he nodded, words unable to form. He just smiled and kept nodding until his brain caught up with his mouth enough to form, "Yes! God, yes." His voice cracked as Bruce opened the ring box and slid the wide gold band onto his ring finger. 

***

"He's glowing, Steve! I told you that he'd get laid!"

Peter sighed exasperatedly, smile turning into annoyance. His dad was an ass. He eyed Steve an narrowed his gaze at him. "I blame you," he said with conviction.

Steve was aghast, "For what?"

"You're all 1940's manners and gentlemanly but you still gave it up to this guy after knowing him for three weeks. Now he seems to think that everyone in a relationship has to have sex or they die!" 

"Hey, I resent-"

"Can it, sexpot," Peter shot back with a whithering glare. "Some people wait until marriage, you know." Tony shut up then, feeling like it was a low blow. His eyes found a laughing Bruce across the room and he glowered.

"What are you laughing at, Jolly Green? You're the one that's going to make my son die a virgin here."

"Not unless I die in the next six months," Peter smirked as he held up his left hand. Steve shot across the room and pulled him into a hug.

"Congratulation! It's about damn time!"

Tony was beyond surprised, "Are you serious? You two are-" He looked between his son and his friend before all but toppling over the coffee table to hug Bruce. "Congratulations, big guy!"

Steve and Tony traded places, with Tony holding Peter close to his chest. "It seems like just yesterday that Hulk was smashing the coffee table and cuddling four year old you. Yesterday you graduated and now you're gonna get married." Peter chuckled into his dad's neck as Tony sighed. "At least you're not pregnant and getting a shotgun wedding. I guess it's a good thing that when we went shopping for kids, we picked the low-maintenance model. Sure nipped that one in the bud."

Peter couldn't help his howl of laughter at his father's words. "You picked well, Dad. You picked well."

 

END


End file.
